Way of the Arachnid
by AeroDragneel
Summary: You all know the story of Peter Parker. Well, forget all of that as you enter Earth-1610U2, the life of this world's Spider-Man, Kid Arachnid!
1. I

**_Manhattan, New York_**

 ** _11:22 P.M._**

 _Power._

 _It's really a simple word, but it's meaning is worth so much more than that._

 _Power rules kingdoms, brings down kings, and even controls the destruction of the world._

 _But to me…power means so much more--_

" ** _Help me!_** "

 _'A guy just can't monologue peace can they?'_ thought a shadowy figure. Jumping down from the spire of a building he pulled a somersault. As he dropped, he pressed his middle and ring finger against the palm of his hand triggering a silvery-white substance to shoot from his wrist and hit the side of building.

The figure slowed his descent with a line of the substance as he landed in an alley where two men had a woman pressed against the wall at knife-point.

"This doesn't look like any kind of date I've seen." said the figure.

Suddenly one of the pulled the woman into a headlock, pressing the knife against her throat, "Stay back pal! One step closer and I slice this pretty throat of hers wide open!"

The figure shot another line of the substance at the armed thug an slammed him into opposite wall and splattered a web of the substance against the wall, pinning the thug in his place.

"It's Spider-Man!" Cried one of the men.

The figure stepped into the light revealing himself. The best way to describe him was well…a ghetto version of the famous Web Slinger. The color scheme was different but the large spider painted on the front of his jacket. He was dressed in dark blue thermals a sleeveless scarlet hoodie which looked rather worn out. He also wore black fingerless gloves, with metal-looking wristbands on each hand.

The only reason he was mistaken for Spider-Man was due to large spider on his chest and the bulging eyes that were really goggles.

"What's the matter Web-Head? Your regular PJ's in the wash?" asked one of the men, totally unsure that this guy was the real deal or just some loser.

"Look I'm not the Spider-Man you know and love, in fact, I'm _quite_ different." said the doppelgänger but…his voice was all wrong. From the media, Spider-Man sound like well, a man! But this guy's voice was a lot higher and cracked halfway through a sentence like a teen going through puberty.

At this, the crook smiled as he pulled a gun from his holster and aimed it at the vigilante. "Look here, a Fanboy ready to play dress up in a shitty costume. Was the web pattern too hard?" He taunted.

The Hero then fired a web at the crook's hand, sticking right to it before yanking the gun right out of his hands and pulling it into his own.

He'd hoped too soon.

The Hero examined the gun and smiled under his mask then pointed the gun back at it's owner. Suddenly the crook facing the barrel lost all confidence and bladder control.

"W-what?! B-but you're a hero! You obviously look up to the Web-Head, right?" said the crook.

"Look at you begging for mercy." The imposter's arm lowered, easing the thug's nerves slightly, "But as I said, I'm different." Suddenly he pointed the gun downward and fired two rounds into the man's knee.

The thug cried out in pain as he clutched his injured limb. The Spider-Man look-alike webbed the gun to a wall before crouching down.

"Call an ambulance!" cried the thug.

"Not until I get answers!" the hero growled. He grabbed the man by his hair and held him up to eye level. He then pulled out a mugshot of a man with short white hair and menacing brown eyes, "You know this guy?"

"I-I--" Suddenly the hero let the man's head hit the ground before a strong punch connected with his jaw. A loud **_*CRUNCH*_** rang through the air as his nose broke send blood pouring out.

The Hero pulled him back up by his hair again and thrusted the photo in his face, "If you don't start fucking talking I'll pound your face into the fucking pavement."

"I don't know! I-I swear to g-god man!"

The Hero dropped the man, leaving him bleeding out on the pavement. "Be sure to tell your buddies I'm coming for them."

He stood up and as he did, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the alley. An officer got out of the car, gun drawn.

"Freeze Spider-Man! You're under arrest!"

The doppelgänger growled, "There are two things I hate!" He leapt into the air flipping onto the cruiser behind the cop, "It's guns," Firing a web into the barrel as the cop pulled the trigger caused the gun to explode, taking a few fingers with it, "and being mixed up with Spider-Man!"

With another web, he hung the officer from a lamp post.

"Have a wonderful evening officer." said the hero. He fired off another web High into the buildings until he felt it catch onto something. Jumping into the air, the web line tugged him along, leaving the scene a single note dropped from him as he soared into the night.

 ** _Just handled your problem, You're Welcome._**

 ** _-Kid Arachnid_**

_

 ** _Forrest Plateu, Queens_**

 ** _12:56 A.M._**

Dropping onto a roof the vigilante sighed. _'Another night wasted on bullshit thugs.'_ He got down on all fours and started moving towards an open window.

Climbing inside, he found himself in a teen's bedroom with posters of the Avengers and Spider-Man filling up a bulletin board as well as newspaper clippings.

But there was a wanted poster of the man from the photo with a red circle around it. As well as pictures of two pictures of two cops and a black and white photo of a man But right beside it was an article from the Daily Bugle.

 **Veteran Police Officer Arrested for Corruption and Murder**

Just seeing that made him sick.

He pulled off his mask showing the face of a boy no older than twelve or thirteen with dark green eyes and messy brownish-blonde hair stuck to his forehead due to sweat.

 _Uncle Will… my best friend, my dad… is currently sitting in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was set up._

 _But whoever did it must've split town as soon as possible but I'm not gonna stop looking._

The boy removed his suit and shoved it in his backpack before putting on his pajamas. He opened his bedroom door and walked downstairs to see light spilling into the living room from the kitchen.

 _'What's he doing up?'_ The boy stood at the entrance of the kitchen to see his other uncle leaning over the counter.

"You don't have to wait up for me you know Russ."

Russell Hoover was what you call a distinguished man. Standing at 6'0" with a somewhat chubby build and a mop of red hair and a thick moustache coupled with gentle grey eyes, it was hard to tell he was approaching his 60's. Russ whirled around with a stern face. "Where were you?!"

"I was out." Said the boy opening the fridge.

"Doing what?"

"Felt cramped. I went on a walk." Pulling a bottle of water from the fridge he cracked it open and to a few gulps.

"For three and half hours?!" Russ growled.

"It was a long walk."

"Finnegan Hoover you better tell me where the hell you went!" Russ shouted.

"I told you, I went on a walk!"

"Stop fucking lying to me William!"

Finn blinked a few times in shock. Was he even seeing him?

Russ scowled at his nephew until…his rage just vanished. Slumping into a chair he buried his head in his hands. "I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to yell…"

Finn took a seat beside the older man, "This isn't about me, is it?"

"I don't know any more. With Will gone I can barely function." Russ said, lowering his hands.

"But you think he's innocent right?" Finn asked.

Russ smiled sadly before placing a hand atop of the boy's head. "Of course I do and I promise I'm still doing all I can to fix it."

 _'So am I.'_ Finn thought.

 _See, I've donned the mask for maybe a month and a half. I'd known about my powers since the accident a month prior._

 _I can remember that day like yesterday…_

 ** _2 Months Ago_**

 ** _Trask Towers, Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _2:15 P.M._**

 _"Welcome class, to Trask Towers, the third leading in innovation after Stark Industries and OsCorp." said Dr. Connors, a middle aged man with messy black hair and blue eyes, framed by glasses. Dressed in formal attire he lead a group of students through the large laboratory._

 _Finn looked around in amazement. "Would you look at the place Debra. Everything we could ever dream is right in front of us."_

 _"Speak for yourself Finn, I've got my eyes set on OsCorp." Debra White was only an inch shorter than her companion with long blonde hair that dropped towards the middle of her back, and brown eyes._

 _"Really now? Do you really want to work there? Or is it because of Harry?" Finn teased._

 _Debra's face turned a bright red as she turned away._

 _"See! I knew you had a thing for him!" Finn said._

 _"Shut up! It's not my fault that he's good looking." Debra growled._

 _"Now class, can any of you tell me what this machine here does?" asked Dr. Conners, gesturing to a machine that was suspended from the ceiling._

 _It looked akin to a blaster of some sort as it fired a blue beam of light into a cage of rats._

 _Finn's hand shut up immediately._

 _"Ah, Mr. Hoover, I'd love to hear your input." Dr. Connors said._

 _"It's a Neogenic Recombinator. You take the DNA of something like…an angel fish for example, which has the ability to regenerate cells on command. You can take this ability and give it to a blind and deaf woman with Alzheimer's and that's that…she's curing herself." Finn explained._

 _"Yeah you just need to look passed the the gills on her neck." said one student._

 _"Brilliant explanation Finn. That's why I wish to show this." Dr. Connors produced an empty glass box. Suddenly his face paled._

 _"You okay sir?" asked one of the students._

 _"We've got a Code Blue! Escaped specimen!" Dr. Connors shouted._

 _Suddenly an alarm began to sound as several men in Trask hazmat suits filed out into the lab. All the doors suddenly locked down._

 _"W-what's going on?!" Debra asked._

 _"One of our genetically modified spiders escaped." Dr. Connors said._

 _No sooner than he said that, a girl screamed as she noticed a rather large spider on her chest._

 _"Kill it!"she shrieked._

 _"Got it!"_

 _"Where'd it go?!"_

 _"Right there, step on it!"_

 _"I lost it!"_

 _Feeling a tickling sensation on his hand, Finn looked down in horror to see a red and blue spider with an X on it'a abdomen on his hand. He froze just before the Arachnid reared back and it down on his hand._

 _Finn cried out in pain as he shook the spider off his hand. His vision began to swim and his hearing became muffled. He dropped to the ground as a group of people crowded around him._

 _Then it all went black._

 _ **Present Time**_

 _ **Forrest Plateu, Queens**_

 _Yep. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital with Uncle Will and Uncle Russ._

 _Next thing I knew, I was strong, stronger than ever. But I had no use for my powers so they stayed under wraps until well, **it** happened._

 ** _One Month Ago_**

 ** _Forrest Plateau Queens_**

 ** _12:30 P.M._**

 _Finn started to walk downstairs when he heard sobbing. Raising a brow the boy hurried down the stairs and saw the scene that unfolded before him._

 _Sitting at the table were his uncles, a detective and two uniformed officers._

 _Will looked to be in rough shape. He had a piece of gauze taped to his cheek, a large slice across his nose, and a black eye._

 _"Officer Hoover, where were you last night?" asked the detective._

 _"I told you, I jumped by two other officers." Will said._

 _"Care to explain why these documents were found in your desk?" asked the detective as he threw a stack of papers in front of him._

 _Will's face paled._

 _"Not to mention we have an two eyewitnesses who say you murdered George Stacy."_

 _"Now that's a load of bullshit! My husband wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his job!" Russ snapped._

 _"Russ, relax." Will said, rubbing his partner's back, "What are charges?"_

 _"Corruption, Extortion, and Murder in the first degree."_

 _Russ opened his mouth to say something but Will just squeezed his hand to silence him._

 _It was over. Will was pressed against the wall as he was cuffed. That's when Russ noticed him in the doorway._

 _"W-what's going on?" Finn asked_

 _It was at this moment, his world crumbled._

 _ **All right everyone, I hope you enjoyed this intro to Kid Arachnid. If you enjoyed, leave a review and maybe favorite, I live for attention.**_

 _ **I'll see you all next time!**_


	2. II

**_Midtown Highschool_**

 ** _Queens, N.Y._**

 ** _8:22 A.M._**

"Did you hear about what happened last night?"

"Yeah it's crazy right?!"

"I thought Spider-Man died."

"Heard that May Parker was pissed about it."

"What an asshole, taking up Spidey's name for his bullshit."

These were just some of the few conversations he heard as he walked through the courtyard.

Finn sighed as he pushed open the doors to the cesspool of drama, sports, and relationship struggles, _Highschool_.

He still got a few stares of pity. His uncles were gay and one of them was a well respected cop that got sent to prison, a great way to stay under the radar.

 _'Whatever, let them gawk. I'm only here to keep up appearances.'_ Finn thought as he opened up his locker.

"Finn."

The boy looked over his shoulder to see Debra standing behind him, clutching her books close to her chest.

"What do you want Deb, I gotta get to class." Finn said as he removed a textbook from his locked and shutting it.

"You've been acting really weird since the "incident" and I--"

"Is that what we're calling it?" Finn scoffed.

"You're starting to worry me. And not just me, it's the whole science club too, MJ, Morbius, even Harry--"

Debra whipped around towards her, "Don't talk to me about " _worry_ " ever again."

Debra gulped as she took a step backwards. "But Finn we just want to help."

"Help? **_Help_**?! Where were you when my uncle went to the hospital, huh? What about when I invited _you_ to their wedding and only _your parents_ showed up? Where were you then, because I'm really failing to see how you've "helped" me through the years." Finn snapped.

Debra felt tears well up in her eyes as some of the students had begun to stare at the two. She covered her mouth before running off down the hallway.

Finn opened his mouth to call out to her but he…couldn't. _'Damn…'_

This was going to be a _long_ day.

 ** _Forest Hills_**

 ** _Queens, N.Y._**

 ** _8:22 A.M._**

"Get out of my house, right now!"

A man ran out of a home with a white haired woman behind him with tears streaming down her face. In her hands was a newspaper with a single headline.

 **Spider-Man Strikes Again!**

The woman slammed the door and stormed over to the phone. Picking up a photo, she stared longingly until the caller answered.

"H-hello? This is May Parker, I have a job for you Mr. Castle."

 ** _Midtown Highschool_**

 ** _Queens, N.Y._**

 ** _12:31 P.M._**

Finn quietly sipped from his carton of chocolate milk. He was too preoccupied with his laptop at the moment to pay attention to the rest of the world.

He had the same four photos on the screen that were posted on the screen from his bedroom.

 _'Alexander O'Hirn. This was one of the guys that ratted out Uncle Will.'_ Finn pulled up a file and a scowl darkened hi _s_ features. _'Doesn't look like the model citizen either.'_

O'Hirn was built tough and strong, looking as if he could stop a rhino with his bare hands with a mop of black hair and brown eyes.

 _'Looks like he's still living at that dump of an apartment, I gotta be sure to check that place out.'_ Finn thought

"Hey! Hoover!"

Finn quickly bookmarked the page and exited the tab before glancing up to the source of the voice.

"Harry Osborn." Finn said, "What brings you over in this neck of the woods?" Finn asked.

Standing before him was the son of the C.E.O. of OsCorp Industries with brown hair and eyes that held fury within them.

"Cut the nice guy act Finn, what was the deal with you yelling at my girlfriend?" Harry asked.

"Is _that_ what this is about? I figured you'd have a better reason than that Osborn." Finn said.

"Listen pal, I don't care what happened to that faggot uncle of yours, you better cool it on that attitude." Harry growled.

Finn's body stiffened, "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you right. What did you call my uncle?"

"I said he's a faggot, got a problem?" Harry said.

Finn laughed as if it were a good joke, but really, his rage was beginning to bubble. He shut his laptop and set it down beside him, "You know Harry, you've been kind of a dick to me ever since we were kids. But, if I hear one more slur come out of that bigoted, rich-snobbed, mouth of yours. I'm gonna knock your teeth down your throat, understand?" He said, standing face-to-face with Harry.

"Or really? I'm _better_ than you, I _own_ you!" Harry said jabbing his finger into Finn's chest.

"You're **_really_** beginning to piss me off Osborn." Finn growled.

"I don't give a shit. Don't be mad at the world because that criminal fag you call an uncle got arrested." Harry retorted.

Fists and teeth clenched, Finn was ready to do what he had to do, " _Say it_. Say that word _one_ more fucking time Harry."

A smile spread across Harry's face. " _Fag-got_. What's gonna--" Suddenly a fist connected directly with his jaw eliciting gasps from the whole cafeteria.

Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at the smear of blood. "You're gonna pay for that."

Finn feigned fear, "Oh no, I'm terrified."

Harry charged at Finn and threw a punch, only for the super-powered teen to side-step him with ease.

Harry then whirled around with a left hook incoming. Finn just grabbed it, shocking the on lookers. Harry tried to pull away but with no avail.

"Let go you freak!" Harry ordered.

"It's not fun is it? To be put in your place like the rest of us?" Finn asked, applying pressure to the captured fist. Then he delivered his own punch, straight into Harry's gut, knocking the wind right out of him.

Harry fell to the ground coughing and gasping, "I-I'm s…sorry, p-please lemme go…"

"I asked you to back off Osborn and guess what? You spat in my face." Finn began to squeeze with all his might until…

 ** _*SNAP!* *CRACK!*_**

Harry screamed in agony as blood spilled from the wounds caused by the jagged bones sticking out from the flesh of his hand. But Finn just kept squeezing.

"Stop! I beg you Finn, let me go it hurts!!" Harry screamed, tears streaming down his face.

Finn released the other boy's hand who cradled his injured hand. He gathered his belongings and walked through the split in the crowd that had gathered.

 _'Should've listened to me Harry.'_ Finn thought.

 ** _Forest Hills_**

 ** _Queens N.Y._**

 ** _1:06 P.M._**

May opened the door to find a raven haired man on the other side. He was dressed in a trench coat black combat boots and gloves.

"Mrs. Parker." said the man.

"Are you Frank Castle?" May asked.

"That would be me, ma'am. I'm here about the call from earlier." Frank said as May let him inside.

"Please, sit down. Would you like some tea?" May asked.

"That would be nice Mrs. Parker." Frank said.

Frank watched as the older woman made her way to the kitchen. He spotted a photo of May, a man, and a little kid.

A steaming cup of tea was held out in front of him, which he accepted gratefully. They both sat down at the table right across from each other.

"Peter was always a nice boy." May began, "Smart and caring about Ben and I as well. He'd much rather be home with the two of us over going to some party."

"Sounds like an angel." Frank said.

"He really was. But…after Ben died, he told me his secret. As any other mother, I was worried for him." May said. "But Spider-Man was just as kind and sincere as Peter. I had to say, I was proud that my nephew was doing things far beyond his call of duty."

"He was a hero." Frank said.

"That he was. Then the Green Goblin appeared, terrorizing our lives. Peter fought him with all he had only to…to die with him." May quickly dried her eyes.

"That fight was around the time that other Spider-Man appeared, right?" Frank asked.

"Yes." May placed the newspaper in front of Frank. "Whoever this man is, he's an insult to what Peter stood for."

"And you'd like me to get rid of him?" Frank asked.

"I want him to stop what he's doing. Whoever he is, he probably has a family of his own and…I don't want to break apart a family." May said.

"I'll do what I can Mrs. Parker."

 _ **Forrest Plateau**_

 _ **Queens N.Y.**_

 _ **2:17 P.M.**_

Russ stepped into the office and spotted Finn right by the door. Before he could say anything the principal opened the door to his office.

"Ah, Mr. Hoover. Please come in, you too Finn."

The teen got to his feet as he followed his uncle into the office.

"Have a seat you two."

Russ was sure to sit between Harry and Finn just in case that anything happened.

"May I ask what this is about?" Russ asked.

"Care to explain Finn?" asked Principal Shepard.

"I warned him." Finn muttered.

"Fuck you!" Harry growled.

"You're lucky I didn't break your face asswipe!" Finn shouted back.

"Enough!" Said Principal Shepard. "I was told that Finn here broke Harry's hand."

"What?!" Russ cried, "Why would you do something like that?!"

"He had it coming." Finn said.

"You're lucky I don't sue you." Harry said.

"Go ahead, I'll make sure that you don't walk out of here alive." Finn said.

In truth with his immense strength, he was surprised that Harry was able to tank a hit from him.

"I suggest you refrain from threats like that." Russ said.

"Since your… husband's incarceration, Finn's seemed to adopt a new attitude. It's this attitude that lead to the altercation today." said Principal Shepard.

"I've noticed." Russ said sadly.

"I should expel you Finn. This could lead to criminal charges, should Harry press them." said Principal Shepard, "But I can see that you're going through some things so I'll let you off with a week of suspension and Saturday School for the rest of the year."

"That's it?! He _should_ be expelled! He _hurt_ my girlfriend, he _broke my_ fucking hand!" Harry shouted.

"Don't think I didn't hear about your part in this. I'll be glad to say that we don't tolerate homophobic insults. You'll be serving the same punishment." said Principal Shepard.

"B-but that's not fair!" Harry cried.

"You're all free to go."

Russ and Finn left the school and made their way to the car. They began the drive home in silence.

"I didn't want to do it."

"Huh?" Russ asked.

"I was just… so mad. I was sick of being taunted and put down by that… snob. Not to mention that he called you guys… faggots." Finn shuddered at the last word. "Bad mouthing Uncle Will really set me off. But being able to put him in his place just… felt good y'know?"

Russ sighed, "Look kid, we're both going through a rough time now. I understand your reasoning and I'm proud that you did you felt was right. But… it's not your place to put people in their place." He said.

"If I didn't nobody else would've!" Finn said.

"Just because you can do things no one else can doesn't mean you should. Uncle Will lived by a philosophy, do you remember what it was?" Russ asked.

"With great power, comes great responsibility. Should you come into power, it's a gift to be used for the good of all." Finn replied quietly.

"Good man. Take it to heart, it's something Will would want you to do." Russ said.

 ** _Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _8:18 P.M._**

Kid Arachnid let go of the web he was holding and landed on a rooftop. _'I hear what you're saying Uncle Russ, but sometimes power is the only way you get people to listen to you.'_ He thought.

Kid crouched low as he pulled out the photo of Alex O'Hirn, as well as a piece of paper with an address on it. Looking up towards the building across from him, he saw Alex with sitting on his couch, beer in hand.

"Looks like it's finally paying off." Kid fired a web at the building and leapt from his perch. He crashed through the window, causing Alex to cry out in fear.

"Who the hell are you?!" Alex asked.

Kid did not hesitate to grab the man off the couch and slam him on the floor. Planting his foot on his chest he pressed down hard enough to hinder the man's breathing. "What do you know about William Hoover?"

"I don't know who that is man, lemme go!" Alex said. He tripped the teen and made a mad dash for the door, only for a web to splatter across it, sealing it shut.

Another web attached itself to his leg and it was pulled out from under him, slamming his back against the wall.

Kid knelt in front of him a pulled out a picture of Will, "You sent this guy to prison for a crime he didn't commit, why?"

"He was snooping around and my boss wanted him out the picture!" Alex said.

"Now we're getting somewhere. Who's your boss?" Kid asked,

"If he knew I told you he'd kill me!" Alex was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his shirt and held him up to his face.

"Listen pal, an innocent man is rotting in jail because of your choices. You're worried about your boss? Think about what _I_ can do to you _right now_." Kid said.

"A-all right, all right! Talk to Lincoln, _L. Thompson Lincoln_ , he knows all about the crime that goes on in this city." Alex said.

Kid then slammed his fist right into his face before dropping him. Alex clutched at his nose as blood poured out of it. "Think of that as a warning should you try anything else."

He ran towards the window and jumped, slinging a web line to a building and swinging off.

On the streets below, Frank watched as the webslinger dove out of the window, _'Let the night begin.'_ He thought as he drove after him.

Kid released the current webline and began a freefall before shooting another silver strand that carried him right beside the cars before shooting off into the air again.

Nothing would ever be able to beat the joys of web swinging.

He dropped onto a rooftop, overlooking the streets of the sprawling city. _'No matter how bad it really is, this city is always beautiful from up here.'_

Suddenly, Kid felt a tingling, buzzing sensation in his head, _'What is this…this feeling?'_ A little voice suddenly told him to jump, which he reacted to just as a bullet whizzed right past his spot. He executed a backflip in midair before landing in the same crouched position as before.

Standing in front of him was a man with slick black hair and emotionless gray eyes. He wore a black, skin-tight shirt with a white skull painted on it, a black trench coat, black trouser, and combat boots. From what he could see, this guy was armed to the teeth with pouches and pockets as well as three gun holsters.

"A little over dressed for a night on the town there slick." Kid said.

"You the Spider-Man poser?" asked the man.

"Are you trying to be a cosplayer for someone because there's only one person I can think of… Rorschach, right?" Kid asked.

The man fired two more rounds which Kid flipped and jumped to avoid.

"Listen, I was told not to kill you but I will if you don't quit this whole " _charade_ " you've got going on." said the man.

"How about no." Kid fired webbed the gun to the man's hand before shooting a webline at his chest and yanking him closer. Once close enough, Kid punched as hard as he could, sending the man rolling towards the edge of the roof.

"I don't care who you are dude, but if you know what good for you, you'll back off." Kid said.

"Like I'll listen to some punk like you!" the man pulled out another gun from the holster and opened fire.

Kid jumped, flipped, and cartwheeled out of the way of the bullets and took cover behind an A/C unit. _'Just who the hell is this guy?'_

The man pulled out a pocket knife and started to cut away at the webbing. Once free, he threw a flash grenade towards Kid's hiding place.

Kid was unprepared for the sudden blinding light that engulfed his vision. He stumbled with every step, unable to tell right from left. Suddenly he felt a searing pain in his left shoulder and his side. Dropping to the ground he felt a foot against his head.

"Listen up kid, I found out that you're trying to be Spider-Man again, _I will kill you._ Remember my face, it's the face of _Judgement_ , the **_Punisher_**."

Then it all went dark.

 ** _There's part two, ending on a cliff hanger because I'm a jerk._**

 ** _But, if you like the what direction I'm taking the story, or want to propose some ideas hit that review button and favorite the story, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated._**

 ** _Aero out!_**


	3. III

**_Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _10:32 P.M._**

Slowly, Kid's vision began to return. It was still night meaning he hadn't been out for long.

But he was suddenly gripped with a stinging, throbbing pain that radiated throughout his body. The entire front of his body felt wet and warm.

Looking down, he saw he was laying in a pool of his own blood. He rolled himself onto his back and found an entrance to a nearby stairwell. _'Come on Hoover, you got this…'_ Kid dragged himself towards the door and propped himself up against it.

Blood was still oozing from his wounds. If he didn't reach a hospital, he'd die. But…he didn't have anything to staunch the flow of blood…did he?

Kid looked at his hands which were stained with blood. His eyes lowered towards the silver bracelet on his wrist. _'That's it!'_ He pulled back the collar of his hoodie and thermal to expose his shoulder that had a bloody hole.

Pointing the webshooter at the wound, Kid pressed the trigger and let a stream of webbing cover the wound. He repeated the process on his side and gave a breath of relief. "There… that should keep… my insides inside." He mused.

Now that the bleeding was no longer an issue, he now had to worry about getting home. Kid used the wall to support himself as he got to his feet before limping towards the edge of a building. _'You've done this a hundred times, you got this.'_

Drawing a deep breath, he stuck out his arm and fired a web at a building. Jumping off, Kid immediately felt a ripping feeling at the wound on his shoulder. He cried out but let go of the web, crashing into a wall of another building and falling about two stories before hitting the fire escape.

Kid groaned, unable to move any longer. He was just weak, tired even. _'Maybe… just a little while…'_ Slowly, his eyes shut behind the mask and he'd drifted off to sleep.

 ** _Brooklyn N.Y._**

 ** _1:30 A.M._**

Frank dropped into his recliner, letting out a sigh. It was a long night for him.

Usually he could just unwind with a beer and some TV, yet he couldn't take his mind off of that Spider-Man imposter. He defended himself enough and the guy didn't show any hint of letting up.

He never had a problem killing before, but for some reason he felt a pit in his stomach. If this imposter was anything like the real Spider-Man, he was just some kid playing "Superhero".

Frank's stomach sank as his mind wandered back to what May Parker wanted.

 _"I want him to stop what he's doing. Whoever he is, he probably has a family of his own and…I don't want to break apart a family."_

Right now, that kid was probably dead. An innocent kid trying to be like his role model was shot dead in cold blood.

Frank's face dropped into his hands, _'What have I done?'_

 ** _Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _9:38 A.M._**

Kid opened his bleary eyes to find himself staring down at the street. _'Wha…? The hell?!'_

Using his uninjured arm, he picked himself up and looked down from the fire escape. Everyone below were going about their morning routine.

"Must've passed out last night…" Kid shook his head before looking up to the sky, _'Uncle Russ is gonna kill me.'_

 ** _Forrest Plateau_**

 ** _Queens N.Y._**

 ** _10:13 A.M._**

Russ sat at the table holding a coffee mug with dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. He brought the mug to his lips and took a sip.

Suddenly he perked up at the sound of the front door opening.

"Finn?" Russ called.

No response. Instead, he heard feet dragging against the flood and a pale, shaky Finn appeared in the doorway, holding the wall for support.

"Jesus Christ, Finn!" Russ scrambled to his feet and took the boy's face into his hands, "Are you all right? You look sick. Damnit kid, where were you?"

"… as out… lost t-track…time." Finn muttered.

Russ then noticed a spreading dark spot on the boy's shoulder. "Finn what is…!" He suddenly grabbed the boy and sat him down.

"Russell? What are you doing?" Finn asked.

"What the hell did you do last night?!" Russ rushed over to a nearby cupboard and produced a heavy silver box. "You're out for god knows how long and you show up bleeding? There's something going on here and you're gonna tell me. Take off your shirt."

"Wha?" Finn asked.

"I need to see what the damage is, now take off your shirt." Russ ordered.

Finn did as he was told and heard his uncle gasp. He was glad that the webbing had dissolved during the night or that would open new questions he couldn't answer.

"Jesus Christ… kid, who did this to you? Where the hell did you go?" Russ asked, gently inspecting the wound on his shoulder.

Finn bit his lip, _'I've been parading around New York dressed like an idiot trying to find out who framed Will oh, and this guy appeared last night, shot me, and left me for dead!'_ He thought sarcastically.

Russ opened the box revealing what looked like a portable hospital with several simple items and one or two complex ones. He took out a pair of tweezers, "That's a bullet wound and it's casing is still in there--"

Finn held his hand up, "I already took care of that." He remembered nearly passing out from the agony of excavating his flesh trying to find a stupid piece of metal.

Russ returned the tweezers in exchange for a hooked needle and thread. "Think you can handle it?"

Finn chuckled, "I got shot didn't I?"

Russ smiled sadly as he began sealing the wounds and cleaning them off. "You didn't answer my question y'know."

 _'This is it Finn, you better figure something out fast.'_ Finn thought. "The truth is… I've gotten in too deep."

"Deep how and in what?" Russ asked.

"I think I'm getting close to find out who framed Uncle Will. My last contact gave me a name, L. Thompson Lincoln." Finn said.

" _And_?"

"On my way back, this guy ambushed me and tried to kill me. I spent the night unconscious." Finn said.

"Finn, I understand your reasons for this but, this?" Russ gestured to the stitched wounds, "This is too much and I don't think Will would want his freedom with you to be sacrificed."

"Well there won't be a sacrifice to be made if _someone_ doesn't try." Finn said.

"I told you that I'm trying my hardest--"

"Well Russell it isn't good enough. Sometimes you need to get your hands dirty in order to get what you want." Finn said. He stood up from the table, grabbing his jacket on the way out, "Maybe you should think about what it is you want."

Russ watched as the teen disappeared upstairs and flinched when he heard the door slam.

Finn threw his shirt on his bed as he plopped down in his desk chair. After last night and that conversation he needed time to himself, time to think.

Whirling his chair around towards the monitor, Finn's fingers hovered over keyboard. _'Details, details…'_ He thought. A skull t-shirt, guns…nothing.

But then, something clicked in his brain.

 _Listen up kid, I found out that you're trying to be Spider-Man again, I will kill you. Remember my face, it's the face of Judgement, the Punisher._

"Punisher…" Finn carefully typed up the the word. Several articles cropped up on the screen.

 **Drug Dealers Found Dead**

 **Mob "Punished"**

 **Gang Murdered**

Finn felt a grin tug at his lips. The guy was a vigilante, a lot like him but only killed with no hesitation. If that were the case, why was he a target?

He then spotted another article:

 **Family Murdered**

Today, a family was murdered in a suspected Mafia hit. The victims were the family of one Franklin Castle were slaughtered in an automobile accident.

"Frank Castle huh? You've got another thing coming if you think I'm dead." Finn muttered.

But how was he supposed to get his attention? Coupled with being injured, there was no way he'd be able to efficiently avoid the guy's arsenal.

Finn whirled around in his chair breathing a sigh of frustration. _'Damn it. My suit.'_

He glared at the fabric of his mask sticking out from his bag.

Laying low didn't seem so bad. At least, until he could get some recovery in.


	4. IV

**_Midtown Highschool_**

 ** _Queens N.Y._**

 ** _12:49 P.M._**

One week had gone by in what felt like the blink of an eye. This lead to a week of research into Punisher and preparation.

Finn walked passed the cafeteria stopping briefly to see Debra sitting with her friends. It had been a few days since he'd yelled at her and begun to avoid her.

Looking down at his hand he curled it into a fist, _'What is wrong with me?'_ Finn relaxed himself and started walking over to her.

The girls were talking about a French test earlier that day and the conversation stopped as soon as he was spotted.

"H-hey Deb." Finn said.

"Finn." Debra said quietly.

"Uh…" the boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I-I was wondering if we could talk, alone please."

Debra turned to her friends, "It's all right girls, I'll be back."

The blonde got to her feet and walked a few feet away from the table before turning to face the boy.

"I'm surprised you still knew I existed." Debra said.

 _Ouch_.

"Look, about that I-I wanted to say, I'm sorry." Finn said.

Debra scoffed, "Are you? Or did you conscience finally get to you?"

"Debra I'm serious. I-I had no right to take my anger out on you like I did. That was wrong." Finn said.

Debra's expression softened as she folded her arm across her chest, "You really hurt me Finn."

"I know. You've been the closest thing I've ever had to a sister all these years. I want to make it up to you." Finn said.

"Well…" A small grin spread across Debra's face, "My uncle is throwing a gala tomorrow night. He said to invite as many friends as possible. Maybe, you and Russell could show up?"

"Tomorrow night? I-I'll be there." Finn said.

Debra smiled at him before walking back to her table. Suddenly Finn felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

"Thank you Finn." Debra said.

Closing his eyes, Finn let out a sigh of relief, "No problem Debra, no problem."

 ** _Trask Towers_**

 ** _Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _1:00 P.M._**

Bolivar Trask stepped through the sliding doors into a large room with several monitors and consoles. Experiments of all sorts lingered around the room as well.

Trask was a rather sophisticated man. Always dressed in a suit in tie, brown hair always slicked back, and always had an empty look in those blue eyes.

"What do we have today Otto?" Trask asked.

The man identified as Otto looked over his shoulder. The heavyset man lowered his goggles as Trask stepped closer. On the screen was video feed of Kid Arachnid, swinging through the buildings on Manhattan.

"I've been analyzing his movements. But he's been rather quiet over the last couple days." Otto said.

"And? What are the results of the data?" Trask asked.

"N-nothing much sir, so far we don't have many countermeasures against him." Otto said.

"Who ever this Kid Arachnid is, he's the result of one of my spiders. Those things haven't even gone to human trials. Pull whatever footage from the labs and review it." Trask said.

"Sir, there-"

"I expect results in twenty-four hours or I expect your resignation on my desk." Trask said.

Otto quickly shut his mouth as Trask began to walk out.

 ** _Forrest Plateau_**

 ** _Queens N.Y._**

 ** _2:45 P.M._**

"Hey Russ, I'm home!" Finn called out.

"In here kiddo!"

Finn stepped into the living room, finding his uncle pacing the floor, phone held up to his ear.

"Yeah, he just came home… sure." Russ handed him the phone and patted his shoulder.

Finn raised a brow, "Hello, Finn speaking."

"It's good to hear that voice again."

Finn's body stiffened, "Uncle Will?"

There was a hearty chuckle on the other end, "You bet it is. How are you doing?" Will asked.

"I-I'm doing great! S-school's going well and I'm keeping an eye on Russell for you, just like you asked me." Finn said.

"I heard about what happened to you last week… are you okay?" Will asked.

"I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about. But I'm really getting close to clearing your name!" Finn said.

"Look Finn, I know you're trying to help, but you better quit while you're ahead."

Finn was taken aback, "But- This is your chance to be free, you don't belong in prison."

"I know kid, I know. But the guys that you're going after are dangerous. You're gonna get yourself killed." Will said.

"Don't worry Will I-"

"Listen to me! You are not to continue this any longer, you hear? I want to stay in this cell until my time is finished, not a minute earlier, do you understand?"

"Will I-"

" _Do you understand_?" Will asked.

Finn clenched his fist, "Yes… yes sir."

"Good boy. Now, I speak to you soon, okay?" Will said.

"Y-yeah." Finn said.

"All right, I love you." Will said, as the phone call dropped.

Finn sighed. All this work was in vain, not worth a damn thing. He slammed the phone on the cradle and scrubbed at his face.

No. He wasn't going to end it just like that. He'd donned a mask, hunted criminals, and made a name for himself, albeit it pretty low-tier compared to Iron Man and Spider-Man.

What would be the point of these powers if they couldn't help those who needed it most?

That's when a lightbulb went off in his head, "Hey Uncle Russ!"

"Yeah kiddo?" Russ asked.

"Debra invited us to her uncle's gala, I was wondering if we could go." Finn said.

"Jonah's niece? Well, I suppose we could-"

"Thank you so much!" Finn ran up to his uncle, hugged him around his middle, and ran up the stairs.

Russ blinked, _'Kids.'_

 _ **Manhattan Penthouse**_

 _ **Manhattan N.Y.**_

 _ **8:21 P.M.**_

"Now, why did you want to bring that old thing again?" Russ asked.

"It's not old Russ." Finn said, throwing the camera around his neck, "It's only a year old."

Russ smoothed out the jacket of his suit with a chuckle, "And it's been sitting in your closet for how long?" He asked.

Finn rolled his eyes as the elevator stopped at their requested floor.

Several hundred people were gathered around the room chatting, drinking, and overall having a good time.

'Hopefully, he's here.' Finn thought.

"Sure are a lot of people here." Russ said.

"It's a gala. All of N.Y.C.'s rich and powerful are gathered in one place." Finn said.

"Finn! Mr. Hoover, over here!" Debra called.

The two smiled at the blue dress-class girl.

"Hey Deb, you certainly look nice this evening." Russ said.

"Thank you Mr. Hoover. Hey, Uncle J is looking really sharp for you tonight." Debra said with a wink.

Russ blushed a deep crimson. "T-thank you for the heads up Debra."

Finn chuckled as he turned to her, "So, do you think I can talk to Jonah?"

"Sure! Don't feel threatened by that tough guy act, he's a really cool guy once you get to know him." Debra said.

"I'll be sure to remember that." Finn joked. He went into the crowd, dodging people until he found the man he was looking for.

J. Jonah Jameson was a distinguished man in his early fifties with graying brown hair and a bushy gray mustache.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jameson." Finn said.

"Hmm? And just who are you supposed to be?" Jonah asked.

"Well uh… I'm a friend of Debra's and I wanted to ask you something." Finn asked.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Jonah asked.

"The last photographer you had was Spider-Man, right? Peter Parker? And since then, there's been a job as Staff Photographer, right?" Finn asked.

Jonah raised a brow, "Look kid I-"

"I want the job sir. With that new guy, Kid Arachnid, I think I'd do a good job." Finn said.

Jonah looked into the boy's eyes. A fierce spark lit up those orbs of his, something he hadn't seen since Parker worked for him.

"Look, how 'bout you stop by my office tomorrow? We can talk more there." Jonah said.

"Thank you for the opportunity Jonah." Finn held out his hand for the man to shake.

Jonah accepted gratefully. "What's your name kid?"

"Finn, Finn Hoover."

"Hoover? Right! You're Debby's little boyfriend!" Jonah chuckled.

Finn blushed, "See, it's not like that exactly Sir." He said.

"Jonah! It's so good to see you." Russ said, as he walked up to the two.

Jonah swallowed hard. "Russell. How are you enjoying the party?"

"Quite the get-together huh? I shouldn't have expected anything less from the J. Jonah Jameson." Russ said.

Finn looked between the two and broke into a wide grin. 'Get a room you two.' He chuckled.

"Well, I'm gonna go raid the dessert table, catch ya later." Finn began to walk towards the table.

Suddenly he got an alert from his phone. He pulled it out and saw a blinking exclamation point on the screen. Upon clicking on it, he was taken to a map with a flashing dot downtown.

 _'Punisher huh? Well it's time we got reacquainted!'_ Finn rushed to the hallway and to the nearby window.

He jumped out of it and started climbing to the roof, where he webbed his clothes and camera to it.

"Good thing you can buy these suits cheap." Finn said. He pulled his mask off and dove off the roof.

 _ **Manhattan N.Y**_

 _ **8:47 P.M**_.

Frank placed his boot on one of the mobster's heads, "Who're you selling to?"

"Fuck you man, they'll kill me if I-"

Frank clicked the safety off, "You wanna continue that sentence? Start talking."

"Shoot me jackass!"

Frank's stare hardened, "With pleasure."

Just as the man was going to pull the trigger, a web array he'd to the gun and pulled his arm back.

"You miss me Slick?" Kid asked.

"You?! How are you-"

"One, I'm hard to kill and two lots and lots of Tylenol." Kid said, yanking the gun to the far side of the room.

"Well whatever the case, I told you that if you ever wore that mask I'd kill you, this time, I'll aim for your head." Frank said.

"Bring it!" Kid felt that same buzzing feeling from before but it was more focused the world around him slowed down as Frank began to pull out his gun.

Kid rushed forward, delivering a direct punch in the man's face.

Time returned to normal as the gun clattered to the ground. Kid slugged him again before leaping into the air and bringing his knee around and hit him in the side of his head.

 _'He different somehow. I can barely react.'_ Frank grabbed a flash grenade and chucked it at Kid who was blinded in the ensuing explosion.

 _'Not this time!'_ Kid thought. He flipped back and landed on a pool table. Then his began to carelessly fire web line throughout the room, linking them all to the pool table. ' _A spider can sense things in it's web or through vibration.'_

At first, darkness was only visible. Then he saw a pulse of blue which lit up the room. He gently plucked the web and the same thing happened.

Then, that feeling came back. He threw himself forward, feeling the wind of a weapon passing by him. Kid threw a web line in that general direction and pulled hard, becoming a human bullet. His feet connected with a body and sent him through a window.

"It worked!" Kid opened his eyes and found Frank trapped underneath him.

"What are you gonna do? Kill me?" Frank asked.

"It sure is a possibility Castle." Kid said, as he threw him into a nearby lamp post. He flipped and landed on top of it, staring directly at Castle, "But I know what you're all about. Hunting criminals to make up for that whole in your heart. To bring justice to criminals, the scum of the Earth by any means necessary."

Frank chuckled, "You sure are the little detective, huh?" Stealthily, he pressed a button on his belt.

"Research is my middle name. I'm a lot like you. You go through any length to make sure that justice is carried out." Frank said.

"Like me? I don't wear a mask to hide myself behind." Frank said,

"Well, I've got friends that would flip their shit if they knew who I was. But Spider-Man wore a mask for the same reasons I do." Kid said.

Suddenly, that tingly sensation came back with a vengeance, firing off all nerves at once. A flurry of bullets began to rain down on the hero who dove from his perch and landed on a nearby wall.

"You cheating bastard!" Kid shouted. He dodged another flurry of bullets only to have one graze his shoulder. He dropped behind the truck that had a mini gun mounted on top of it. Frank got in and started driving off.

Kid plucked a green cartridge from his belt and swapped it out from the silver one in his webshooter. He sprayed his wound with the webbing, giving himself an instant relief from the pain. "Medicinal Webbing, I love you." He swapped the cartridges again and took off into the air.

Frank swerved the truck into the street and began to speed off. The kid shouldn't be able to catch up with him.

That's when he saw a figure moving swiftly through the roof tops.

Kid jumped off the building and fired a web into a nearby building. He was sure to keep himself just above the cars in order for this to work. He soared in front of the van and attached two webs to the front tires before firing another into the skyscrapers.

With all his might, Kid pulled hard on the car, pulling it forward a few feet.

"Fuck off Kid!" Frank leaned out the window and aimed his pistol at him, firing six rounds.

 _'Damn, that's not working!'_ Kid tugged on the web before kicking off into the air. He faced the truck on the way down from his descent and began to rapidly fire webs at the van, attaching them to buildings and lamp posts.

Kid landed as the van attempted to move. He then jumped on the hood and stared at Frank through the windshield. He threw his fist through the clad and yanked the vigilante out of the front seat and threw him on the ground.

"This is your warning Frank. You come after me again, I will kill you. And unlike you, I'll make sure you're dead." Kid said, just before his knocked the man out cold.

Kid sighed, _'Time to party.'_

 ** _Manhattan Penthouse_**

 ** _Manhattan N.Y._**

 ** _9:56 P.M._**

Finn readjusted his tie as he made his way through the room.

"Finn! Haha, there you are kid!" Russ said, holding a glass of champagne in his hand with his arm around Jonah's shoulder. It was obvious he'd been drinking a little too much.

"Having a good time Russ?" Finn asked.

"I'm having a great time! Jonah here's been telling me about the Bugle!" Russ said.

Finn then felt someone tug on his arm, dragging him to the dance floor. Debra smiled as she guided the boy's hand to her hip and holding the other one.

"Uh… a warning would've been nice?" Finn said.

"Warnings? Since when were those a part of our friendship?" Debra asked.

"W-well… good point." Finn said.

Debra rested her head on his shoulder, smiling, "I'm glad I can be around you Finn. You're so different from Harry."

Finn felt himself blushing furiously, "Me too Debra."

Maybe more than one thing accomplished tonight.

 ** _Well leave a review, favorite, and tell me what you like or villains you're ready to see._**


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